Sound TransitApril 27, 2018 RPEC Presentation

South Sounder Capacity Expansion

South Sounder Capacity Expansion

Project Description

• Extend station platforms to allow 10-

car trains (currently Sounder has 7-car

trains)

• Track and signal improvements to

increase rail capacity - needed for

extension to Dupont & JBLM and

potentially additional trips

• Nonmotorized and Bus safety and

access improvements around stations

• Project was approved in ST3

Sounder South Line connects or serves 8

regional growth centers and 4 MIC centers

26 Sounder trains serve the Seattle-

Lakewood corridor daily

Trains operate every 20 minutes in the peak

periods

The span of service is 4:36 a.m. to 7:46 p.m.

Peak trains have capacity constraints / people

standing.

Sounder Ridership Growth

The Sounder South line averaged nearly 16,000

weekday boardings in 2017 – a 5.5% increase

over 2016 ridership levels.

Projected Average Weekday Boardings

• 2017 = 16,000

• 2032 = 25,600

• 2042 = 28,200 – 35,900

Longer, 10-car trains are needed to accommodate

current demand and projected growth. 10-car

trains allows 10,374 additional riders per weekday

Track and Signal Improvements Include

• Additional Main Line Track

• Turnouts

• Gated Signals

• Track improvements along sections

of corridor

Nonmotorized & Bus Access and Safety Improvements

• Pedestrian access

• Within ¼ mile of station

• Paths

• Ped Bridges

• Signage

• Bicycle access

• Within ½ mile of station

• Bike lockers

• Bike Paths

• Signage

• Bus access

• Expanded pickup/dropoff

• Additional bus/transfer

facilities

Going from 7-car trains to 10-car trains allows 10,374

additional riders per weekday (2.7 million annually)

Additional ridership expected to reduce 66.6 million VMT

annually

Taking Sounder instead of driving can save an average of

27 minutes per trip or 54 minutes per day.

Track and signal improvements benefit both passenger and

freight rail (40+ freight trains use the same corridor)

Station area nonmotorized and bus improvements improve

access and safety

Project Benefits

Demographics

Of the 9 South Sounder station areas:

Populations in Poverty – 7 stations areas are higher than the region-wide rate of 11%

• 12.4% of Sound Transit District’s population is classified as low-income

• About 9% of all households do not have access to a car.

Minority Populations – 5 stations areas greater than the regional average of 33.6%

Disabled Populations – All stations similar to or higher than the region-wide rate of 11%

Highly Impacted Communities – 4 stations are located in highly impacted communities with

degraded air quality.

Access to Opportunities – 7 stations have Very Low or Low Opportunity.

Access to Jobs & Supportive of CTR

• Connects multiple 12 regional growth centers/MICs with

populations totaling 78,300 and 299,502 jobs in Pierce and

King counties.

• 54% of Sounder riders use an ORCA card provided by

their employer.

• 60% of those Sounder boardings are from large regional

employers such as:

Amazon, Weyerhaeuser, Group Health Cooperative, Swedish

Health Services, Microsoft, Providence Health and Services,

Frank Russell Company, Virginia Mason, Seattle Children’s,

Zillow, MultiCare Health System, SMG and Zulily.

Supportive of the Region’s Economic Strategy to “Improve the links between housing and

employment centers by delivering reliable transit connections that cut current commute times.”

Air Quality & Health Benefits

Reduces 66.6 million VMT annually from the I-5 and

SR 167 corridors

Reduces 49.7 tons of CO, 2.7 tons of NOx, 17,840 tons

of CO2, 0.103 tons of PM10 and 0.095 tons of PM2.5

The estimated annual health/financial benefit is

$68,998 to $155,472

Long term benefits: assets have 30+ year useful life

Source: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency COBRA Model

Request: $6.7m of regional CMAQ

($5.6m for Design and $1.1m for ROW)

ST local funds available for match

NEPA CE or Documented CE

Funds can be obligated immediately and the Design

and ROW phases complete by the end of 2022.

Planning - 2018-2020

PE/Design – 2021

ROW – 2022

Construction – 2023-2027

Open for service 2027

Funding Request & Project Readiness

Questions?